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Watch 17 minutes of unadulterated Blade & Soul PvP footage
There's nothing that South Korean gamers love more than hot-blooded PvP, which is why they went bananas to see NCsoft's Blade & Soul's player-vs.-player combat live at the recent Soul Party 2. In two filmed videos by ThisIsGame.com, testers give the game's intense, kinetic action a workout during a 20v20 PvP match. The characters' full range of motion is on display in these clips, as are their various methods of impaling, soul-sucking, and fireballing opponents. Blade & Soul recently announced its adorable Summoner class, which will be playable when the game heads into its third closed beta test on May 9th. And yes, you have our full permission to stay up past your bedtime to watch the following PvP bout.
ArcheAge video shows six minutes of scenery
ArcheAge fans have been aching for news updates since the close of the title's latest Korean beta last May. XL Games is presumably hard at work processing feedback and adding functionality, as we haven't heard a peep from Jake Song's dev team in quite some time. Fortunately, our friends at AAPortal are parceling out various bits of video footage captured during CBT3. Last week we got a look at an ArcheAge cityscape by way of a parkour clip, and today we're treated to a six-minute montage of the game's stunning scenery. The footage takes us on a journey across tranquil meadows, arid deserts, and rocky shorelines, and even along for the ride as a player chases an airship (and later boards it, leading to some spectacular high-altitude nighttime vistas). Head past the cut to check it out, and mosey on over to AAportal for the source post.
ArcheAge caster class detailed
AAportal has published another review of the recently concluded ArcheAge CBT3 event, this time focusing on the game's Mage class. The reviewer leveled his Mage to 21 and came away with a better understanding of the pre-defined spell schools (in this case illusion, death, and magic) as well as the corresponding special abilities. While most MMO mages are on the squishy side, we suspect that ArcheAge will buck that trend a bit, given the reviewer's observations that his Mage had a lot of hitpoints as well as a significant shield buff. Offense is, of course, the Mage's raison d'etre, and ArcheAge casters apparently pack a wallop (as well as two- to three- second cast times). It's not all wham-spam-thank-you-ma'am, though, as there is some strategy involved. Read all about it at AAportal, and check out the gameplay video after the cut.
ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration
If you've been curious about the crafting and gathering systems in XL Games' forthcoming ArcheAge sandbox, you'll want to check out the third and final part of ArcheAge-Online's extensive CBT3 review. The piece has a detailed breakdown on the game's labor point system (a third point pool, if you will, much like more traditional health and mana pools). Labor points are somewhat scarce despite regenerating over time, and most of the game's non-combat activities require them (harvesting apples from apple trees, chopping down said trees, building furniture and boats, etc.). It's a unique system, and ArcheAge-Online goes into the nitty gritty of the mechanics and offers up plenty of opinion as well. The review also features commentary and video footage on sailing and nautical exploration, with interesting tidbits about boat construction and the discovery of player settlements on uncharted islands off the beaten path. Head to ArcheAge-Online for more.
ArcheAge PvP, dungeoneering discussed
Ready for some more ArcheAge CBT3 impressions? If so, AAportal has your hookup in the form of a new article that examines the recently concluded beta event. While Massively poked around the world of ArcheAge in wide-eyed newb wonder last week, AAportal had been there before, and its new posting compares the team's impressions of CBT3 with the earlier CBT2 event. In addition to investigating interface, character customization, and world changes, AAportal notes that it was able to send a full team of level 20 characters delving into the deeps of one of ArcheAge's dungeons. Explorers will be pleased to know that the dungeon was a labyrinthine experience that left the adventurers unsure as to whether or not they'd managed to see it all. Also on the discussion table is world PvP, and here AAportal reports that player skill trumps zergs quite handily. The game's physics apparently play a big role as well, and the article illustrates the differences between a knock-back ability in World of Warcraft (which happens the same way every time regardless of terrain) and an ArcheAge knock-back that is affected by the character's surroundings. Finally, the article concludes that ArcheAge is not a very solo-friendly game as it currently stands, with coordinated groups required for premium content like ship battles and dungeons runs. Check out all the details at AAportal.net.
Massively Exclusive: The sweet and sour of ArcheAge's third closed beta
Forgive me for getting this out of the way up front: I frickin' hate betas. Loathe them. Avoid them like the plague, usually. Why then, did I find myself foregoing sleep for the better part of last week to log into XL Games' third closed beta test for ArcheAge? Curiosity, for sure, and maybe just a hint of desperation. As the MMORPG genre moves farther and farther away from the types of games worlds that drew me in a decade ago, the chance to get a preview of what some fans are hoping is the next great AAA sandbox was enough to overwhelm my betaphobia. It's been quite some time since I've glanced out my window to see the sun rise while playing an MMORPG through the night, and ArcheAge definitely has its claws in me at this point. Is it the next great sandbox, though? Is it even a sandbox at all? Can XL successfully meld two design philosophies (sandbox and themepark) that are, in many ways, polar opposites? Those questions are difficult to answer, but join me after the cut and I'll give it a shot.
Aion character creation video shows impressive customization options
Do you dislike character creation systems with limited customization? Clicking through the options there's not many hair styles to pick from and very limited facial choices. It lacks, the character creation system lacks everything. Or worse, there are a zillion facial sliders to adjust your eyebrows and ears, but once you log into the game all the tedious detail you worked on didn't really customize your character's facial traits at all. The only genuine difference amidst the throng of doppelgangers at the local market is newbie grab and high-end shiny equipment. As US Aion fans wait to play the game, let's look at Aion's mind-blowing character creation system. From the looks of the above video finding your doppelganger won't happen often in Aion: The Tower of Eternity. The character creation system looks to be a remarkable accomplishment considering Aion only features two playable races with the same origins, the Elyos and the Asmodians. As for Aion's current status, it wrapped up its latest closed Korean beta test yesterday. The patch notes from the Korean beta were translated to English recently, which added new content, balance changes, and lots more. One more bonus video is available for viewing after the cut.
